BHA & BHT Free Fennel-Orange Salad
Crisp shaved fennel, jewel-bright orange segments, briny Castelvetrano olives, and a whisper of red pepper flakes — this salad is the kind of thing that looks like it came from a restaurant but comes together entirely in your own kitchen. Every component is whole and fresh, which matters a lot when you're trying to avoid the synthetic preservatives that sneak into packaged dressings, cured items, and even some store-bought olives. Here, the dressing is built from scratch with extra-virgin olive oil, fresh-squeezed citrus, a touch of honey, and simple seasonings — nothing processed, nothing hidden. The trick of soaking the sliced fennel in ice water is a small step that pays off big, giving you delicate, curled ribbons with a satisfying crunch rather than anything sharp or raw-tasting. The orange segments bring natural sweetness and acidity that do double duty, since two tablespoons of their juice go straight into the dressing. Finished with fresh parsley, torn fennel fronds, and optional shaved Parmesan, this is a salad that feels genuinely special without requiring a single ingredient you'd have to scrutinize a label for.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the salad
- 2 medium fennel bulbs, fronds reserved
- 3 medium navel oranges
- ¼ small red onion, very thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup castelvetrano olives, pitted and roughly torn
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh orange juice (from one of the segmented oranges)
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp honey
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For serving
- 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp fennel fronds, roughly torn (optional)
- 1 oz shaved parmesan (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Trim the fennel bulbs: cut off the stalks and any tough outer layers, then halve each bulb through the root. Using a mandoline or a sharp knife, shave the fennel crosswise into very thin slices, about 1/8 inch thick. Place in a large bowl of ice water and let stand for 10 minutes, until the slices curl slightly and crisp up. Drain well and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.
- 2
Working over a bowl to catch the juice, cut the top and bottom off each orange, then stand each orange upright and slice away the peel and white pith from top to bottom, following the curve of the fruit. Hold the peeled orange over the bowl and cut between the membranes to release the segments, letting them fall into the bowl. Squeeze the spent membranes over the bowl to extract the juice, then measure out 2 tbsp of the juice for the dressing.
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